There were 29.7 million passengers at Palma Airport in 2019. | Efe

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Figures from Spain's airports authority Aena point to 31.2 million seats having been programmed for Palma flights this summer, an 11% increase compared with 2019.

The airlines' summer season starts this weekend and lasts until late October. Nationally, 215.6 million seats have been programmed, up 1.6% over 2019. The number for Palma Son Sant Joan is the third highest in the airport network behind Madrid-Barajas, with 42.6 million, and Barcelona-El Prat, 36.2 million.

Of the two other airports in the Balearics, seats for Ibiza are also up eleven per cent to 9.3 million, while there is a 40% rise for Minorca - to 5.1 million.

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Aena notes that its figures don't include Russian or Ukrainian flights. Together, these would normally only amount to around one per cent of the total.

By markets, there is a seven per cent increase in seats for domestic flights - 69.3 million - compared with 2019. For international flights there is a small decrease of one per cent. The UK, with 35 million, has the most, but these are down three per cent. Germany has 21.6 million (down six per cent), and Italy 13 million (up five per cent).

The airports authority adds that there is a high degree of uncertainty due to the pandemic, the war in Ukraine and the rise in fuel prices. The scheduling of flights is in any event always subject to possible change by airlines.

The number of seats only gives an indication of the potential number of passengers. Palma's 31.2 million programmed seats for the summer season are above the actual number of passengers (arriving and departing) for the whole of 2019 - 29.7 million.